An interview with musician, singer-songwriter and producer Maria De Val

Maria de Val is her solo project and “perhaps her most personal”. Uncompromising, experimental, indie and deeply rooted in her own identity, it is the outcome of complete freedom of choice and vision, while the band Principess, on the other hand, goes in a completely different direction with the three musicians defining their style as Italo-Kraut-Pop with feminist lyrics. They function as a genuine collective, not just on a musical but also on a human level; they write together, share themes and constantly interact with one another. Finally, Van Damme 38 is a performative and artistic project rooted in music for documentaries.

Maria Moling is a studio and live musician, singer-songwriter, composer and producer; she plays a dozen instruments and effortlessly explores different musical languages ​​and forms. After years touring with the bands Ganes and Me + Marie, she now tours Europe with her Maria de Val, Principess, and Van Damme 38 projects, collaborating with international artists such as Hubert von Goisern, Angela Aux, Cosma Joy, Max Prosa, and Aloa Input. She also composes and produces music for theatre and film.

Born in Brunico and raised in La Val, Val Badia, after completing her education at a music-focused teacher training high school, she studied jazz drums at the Carinthia Regional Conservatory, later turning to experimental pop music. She recently released her first album Mëda Medusa and is already working on her next. Passion, sensitivity, irony and depth all coexist in her words and music.

KW What was your earliest contact with music?
MDV It was very early on, when I was a child because music was always around in our house. My parents love music, they play and sing, with my mother in the church choir and my father in the marching band. As children, we were given the opportunity to learn an instrument, and of course we all did, although to be honest, we argued more than we made music together [laughs]. Later, I used to stop by the house of a neighbour who had a drum kit. I still remember how much I enjoyed playing it: it was there that I discovered my love for this instrument, even though I only started studying it seriously in high school when I was fourteen. In Val Badia, I sang in the choir and the church choir, and very early on they let me play the organ even before I could read notes. At a certain point, I started listening to more jazz and pop, everything I could get my hands on in the valley or in South Tyrol: a sister or an aunt's “cool” CD, very varied and colourful music. My first real experiences in a band came at the teacher training school in Brunico.

KW What are your musical influences?

MDV Bands and concerts have always fascinated me, and that's how I realized I wanted to make music together with other people, in whatever shape and form. My jazz studies also had a profound impact on me: my first concerts, my first compositions even while I was studying. Then, at twenty-three, I did my first big tour with Hubert von Goisern where we travelled around Europe by ship with guest bands, jam sessions and concerts. It was an incredible experience, and I was really lucky to have been able to do it at that age. Shortly afterwards, there was my experience with Ganes and my first real tour, then later the club and festival scene with Me + Marie was crucial. I've always listened to a lot of music from the '70s and '90s, from Motown to indie, and I still do today.

KW What's the common thread that runs through your work?

MDV I think it's the aesthetics of sound. Maybe I could describe it like this: I like slightly dirty vintage sounds, ones that “sway” slightly in the right way at the right moment.

KW You write, you compose, you play a variety of instruments, produce and co-produce your music: what appeals to you most about all these aspects?

MDV I love being in places where music happens. I'm fascinated by those moments and spaces where something can be born, regardless of my role or the form it takes and as such, limiting myself to just one thing would be reductive, almost boring. In terms of production, I like to take responsibility for aesthetic choices, but also for understanding the creative path needed for something to emerge, or to evolve or for someone else to be guided in a certain sonic direction, whereas with writing and composing, I'm especially drawn to the stories, atmospheres and worlds that can be created. I have an impelling need to create and perhaps the most beautiful part is when, in the middle of the process, you manage to surprise yourself with something you hadn't expected.

KW Why do you sing in Ladin, English, German, Italian…?

MDV Languages ​​have always been a part of me. At home, we only spoke Ladin, but it was clear from the start that we would have to learn others, because with Ladin alone, you can't get very far. That's why today I feel at home with all these languages, although I feel different with each one, and each manages to convey something specific. It would be unnatural to have to choose just one, especially when I feel a certain song works better in another language. In Ladin, which is my native language, some things manage to be more intimate and sincere, yet if I sang exclusively in Ladin, I would feel like I was adhering to an idea of ​​authenticity imposed from outside, and I definitely don't recognize myself in that. For example, a song like Ciao Ciao Bella Ciao was written as a reference to classic Italian and a commentary on the Fascist idea of ​​remigration. As such, with my accent I can express such a dark atmosphere, the feeling of that farewell, better in German, which I always have, no matter what language I sing in. English, on the other hand, is deeply linked to pop music and is a very soft language, which I find ideal for writing songs, even if they don't necessarily have to be sung in English. Ultimately, I believe that it is the writing itself that suggests the language in which a song should come to life.

KW Your first album is titled Mëda Medusa: what does it mean and what does it tell?

MDV Mëda means “aunt” in Ladin, and the figure of Medusa has always fascinated me because she is so changeable. She has many faces and is many things at the same time: monster, divinity, victim and symbol of protection. She is also an image linked to female rage, a figure demonized by patriarchal structures precisely because she tried to rebel. For me, Medusa is a protective symbol, but also a space for projecting fears, desires and contradictions.

KW You're also increasingly working in the theatre, with the Munich Kammerspiele and the Leipzig Schauspiel, to give just two examples. What attracts you to this field?

MDV I'm intrigued by the intersection of two art forms like theatre and music, and I find the interaction that occurs on stage very stimulating. This greatly enriches my compositional work, not least because the level of artistic ability in these theatres is extremely high, and it's a joy to collaborate with such talented people. I initially entered the world as a live musician, then I worked in sound design, and later also in composition and musical direction.

KW Last question: what should we absolutely not miss in Alta Badia?

MDV There is a vast number of people in the valley who are passionately committed to organizing truly wonderful events so I especially recommend participating in contemporary cultural initiatives. A valley is really only beautiful when culture, tourism and agriculture coexist in harmony. And I always recommend a visit to the Ladin Museum.